https://vsco.co/feed <- started as a mobile photo-editing app , became a creative community stripped of social mechanics. No public follower/like counts or comment sections. Basic tools and sharing has a free tier.
If the people who encouraged you to insta are actually interested in your work, find out which one of these suits your needs AND will be used by those individuals.
Comments
Here's a useful page about alternatives to instacrap. https://monnett.social/blog/5-alternatives-to-instagram/
TLDR;
https://pixelfed.org/ <- open-source, decentralized, and ad-free
https://glass.photo/ <- subscription-based photography platform: artists pay, viewer account are free
https://vsco.co/feed <- started as a mobile photo-editing app , became a creative community stripped of social mechanics. No public follower/like counts or comment sections. Basic tools and sharing has a free tier.
If the people who encouraged you to insta are actually interested in your work, find out which one of these suits your needs AND will be used by those individuals.
Next: Find a way out of FB.